The Finnish Institute of International Affairs is a partner in the research consortium InvigoratEU – Invigorating Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy for a Resilient Europe coordinated by the Universität Duisburg-Essen. The project is funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. (Grant Agreement No. 101132124)
The consortium will examine
1. how to reform the EU’s enlargement strategy in a new geopolitical phase;
2. how to respond to other actors’ geopolitical ambitions in the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans; and
3. how to rebuild the EU’s foreign policy arsenal in view of a new era of military threats combining the modernisation and geopolitical logics of EU enlargement.
The consortium will produce scientific and policy-relevant publications presenting new data – e.g. a public opinion survey in Ukraine, a set of scenarios, an external influence index (Russia, China, Turkey), and a social policy compliance and cohesion scoreboard. Given the topicality of the research theme, the consortium will provide recommendations to maximize its scientific, policy and societal impact.
FIIA’s Programme Director Juha Jokela is co-leading Work Package 8, titled Security and defence: Building resilience and robust capacities in the neighbourhood together with Professor Artur Gruszczak of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow.
FIIA’s research team includes Programme Director Arkady Moshes, Leading Researcher Marco Siddi, Senior Research Fellows Tuomas Iso-Markku and Ryhor Nizhnikau, Research Fellow Tyyne Karjalainen, and Specialist Anu Ruokamo. The work done at FIIA will result in extensive policy papers focusing on security and defence matters as well as critical energy infrastructure in the EU’s eastern neighbourhood amid a changing European security environment.
InvgoratEU is a large consortium respecting the diversity of Europe and political perspectives: seven out of 18 partners are from Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and the Western Balkan countries.
The project started in January 2024 and will last for three years.
Read more on InvigoratEU project page.
